Meet Vered Mares

Alright – so today we’ve got the honor of introducing you to Vered Mares. We think you’ll enjoy our conversation, we’ve shared it below.

Vered , first a big thank you for taking the time to share your thoughts and insights with us today. I’m sure many of our readers will benefit from your wisdom, and one of the areas where we think your insight might be most helpful is related to imposter syndrome. Imposter syndrome is holding so many people back from reaching their true and highest potential and so we’d love to hear about your journey and how you overcame imposter syndrome.

This is a tough one. I approach almost everything from a place of curiosity. I assume I am ignorant of a particular area of interest, and then do whatever I can to learn more. I don’t know that I overcome the feeling of “imposter” but I reinforce my backbone to keep going through continued curiosity and learning. Ignorance leads to curiosity which leads to learning and then to perhaps acceptance of what I’ve learned or the skill set I’ve acquired.

Great, so let’s take a few minutes and cover your story. What should folks know about you and what you do?

I am the sole owner of The Writer’s Block Bookstore and Cafe located in Anchorage, Alaska. The space is a community rooted gathering place for writers, artists and musicians. We foster a sense of safety and encourage curiosity. We offer a full menu that is created with sustainability and quality in mind. This means 100% of our food is made from scratch, from soup stocks to spreads, dips, sweets, and so forth. Much like the highly curated selection of books, our kitchen is also highly curated. We support local business, local produce, local authors and everything that brings people together.

When someone comes in, they feel welcome, comfortable, and as if they’re in a living room filled with great books, excellent food, great music, and interesting artwork. We have no televisions. We want people to talk, to engage and to experience new things in a comfortable environment.

There is so much advice out there about all the different skills and qualities folks need to develop in order to succeed in today’s highly competitive environment and often it can feel overwhelming. So, if we had to break it down to just the three that matter most, which three skills or qualities would you focus on?

Many people have a “past” for better or worse. I moved around a lot, and worked many undesirable and hard jobs. I think the perpetual instability of that time sparked a very strong work ethic and extreme sense of right and wrong.

Having a strong work ethic is number one.

Next to that is humility. It can be isolating to be the boss lady. Knowing how to ask for help and being open to the expertise of others more qualified than myself is what allows me to learn and grow.

Having a sense of humor links to the previous two. As a small business, things don’t always go as planned. My ideas are not always great, and I fail regularly at even basic things, like finding matching socks to start the day. I have to be flexible and humble, and know when to not take things too seriously (also to recognize when something is serious)… but humor is the skill that allows fresh air to circulate. I laugh at myself a lot.

Do you think it’s better to go all in on our strengths or to try to be more well-rounded by investing effort on improving areas you aren’t as strong in?

If anyone hopes to run a small business, you’d better get comfortable with being uncomfortable. My strengths guide me, but my weaknesses are what teach me. I may never be a Michelin starred chef or best selling writer, or award winning barista, or plumber or carpenter, but I damn well better try to get good at those things, or at the very least, to learn what’s involved in those things. Learning through weakness means understanding the value of those things we are not great at.

For example, I have a very old espresso machine. It is the life blood of the cafe. When things go wrong, I can’t always get the repair person on-site immediately, so I’ve observed his work, asked questions, and asked him to show me what to do when various things go wrong—how to clean, maintain parts, change seals, etc.

Contact Info:

• Website: https://www.writersblockak.com
• Instagram: @thewritersblockalaska